Privacy & Cybersecurity Law Blog

The Canadian government recently published a cabinet order stating that the effective date for breach notification provisions in the Digital Privacy Act would be November 1, 2018. At that time, businesses that experience a "breach of security safeguards" would be required to notify affected individuals, as well as the Privacy Commissioner and any other organization or government institution that might be able to reduce the risk of harm resulting from the breach.

In a separate cabinet order, the Canadian government said it would finalize the Breach of Security Safeguards Regulations, which were published in draft form in September 2017.

Canada has had mandatory breach notification regulations at the provincial level, and many companies have also voluntarily reported breaches to the federal Privacy Commissioner, so most organizations should be well-equipped to meet the November 1 compliance deadline.